Automatic gun.



Patenteii Oct. 20, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

K. HEINEMANN.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.8,1912.

1,1 14,61 1 Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

5 BHEETB SHEET 2.

ITIWRIVEK,

K. HEINEMANN.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.8,1912

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

5 SHBETS SHEET 3.

PM W MW .m rm 11 K. HEINEMANN.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION rum) r22. 8, 1912.

1,1 14,61 1. Patented Oct. 20, 1914 5 SHEETS--SHEET 4.

K. HEINEMANN.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 1912. 1, 1 14,61 1 Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

45 not impair the accuracy of aiming of the STATES Parana] FFKE'E,

KARL HEINEMA N, or BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 DEUTSCHE WAFFhn- UH}.

MUN ITIO NSFABEIKEN,

AUTOMATIC GUN.

Speciiicationol Letters Patent.

02 BERLIN, GERMANY.

Application filed Febrii'ry 8, 1912. Serial No. 676,283.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL HEINEMANN, a citizen of the German Empire, residin I at Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, ermany, have invented certain new and useful- Improvements in Automatic Guns; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, "such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

My invention relates to improvements in automatic guns, and more particularly in automatic guns of the Maxim type in which the lock or breech block is moved inopening and' closing position by means of a lock. lever secured to the right hand end of the lock crank and outside the casing inc-losing the breech mechanism. Asis known inthe art the said lock crank is mounted on a slide block which is reciprocated bythe recoil of the barrel, and in such reciprocation the lock lever alternately strikes with its opposite ends on a stationary part in-the form of a roller, whereby the said lever and the crank shaft are alternately rocked in oppo-i site directions, and such rocking movement is used for operating the lock.

One of the objects of myimprovements is to construct the lock operating mechanism in such a way, that the shocks which are caused by the lock lever striking. against. the roller are as far as possible avoided.

With this object in view my invention consists in arranging the cams of the lock crank which control the opening movement of the lock inside the breech casing and in position for engagement with a stop bearing on the handle block. Outside the breech casing exclusively the rocking lock lever is located, and the position of rest and the breech closing position of the latter are such, that any pressure and shocks which might occur always act in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the barrel, so that they can gun. Preferably thes'aid lock lever is equipped with a butlerspring which dampens the shocks.

In order that my invention be more clearly understood an example embodying the same has been shown in the accompanying drawings in which the same letters of reference have been used in all the views to indicate corresponding parts.

In saiddrawings Figure 1 is alow? dinal section of the breech casin she. i a

the lock mechanism in the closed hree'ch sition. Fig. 2, is a similar section show. the operating mechanism for the lock in open breech position, Fig. 3, is aside View of the breech of the gun showing. the lock lever and in dotted lines, the mechanism for operating the lock, the parts being shown in the closed breech position, Fig, 4, 1s a similar side view SllOWll'l the parts in the open breech position, an Fig. 5, is .adetail plan view showing the novel parts of the breech mechanism and illustrating the arrangement .of the cams controlling. the opening movement of the lock relatively. totheir stops. Y

Referring to the example illustrated iii the drawings, to the handle block 10' provided at the rear of the breech casing. 21.

its front end with upper stops 0 and a lower rounded stop 0 both of which are located near the longitudinal axis of the barrel. At its rear end the bracket d is made in the form of a sleeve 01 which is provided with internal screw threads and receives a tiangedtubular stud m. Within the latter the rear extension n of a block '11, is guided which at its front face is formed with a cam face 2 and a roll-r y. Between the flanged portion. of the stud m and the block 11 acoiled spring 0 isintcrposed which has the tendency toforce the block it forward and into the position shownin Fig. 1.

In front of the stops 0 and'e the lock cranlii shaft is located which has receiyed the rlfcrence letter f. 'lliecrankshaft is rcciprocatcd in the usual way by the recoil rockinifilcver g which is weighted at outer an ill the usual way and which assists movement which is necessary for moving the lock in'to opening and closing, position. In guns of'the construction now in use stops are prm'iiled which act directlv on cam faces formed on the IOClClIlg lever.

An important feature of my invention consists in arranging the said cam faces separately of the rocking lever and inside the breech casing and near the longitudinal'axis of the gun. In the .example shown the said cam tacos are-formed on the lock crank b which is made integral with the shaft f.

of the:- gun. At its outer end it carries .a

bracket d is secured which is provided at.

in imparting to the crankshaft the rocking.

As shown the said crank is formed with upwardly projecting fingers at having cam faces a. Furthermore the crank is provided with a cam x arranged for engagement with stop 1 preferably in the form of a roller and located at the lower end of the block n. The crank arms I) are in the usual way jointed to connecting rods 7) by means of which the crank is coupled to the side levers of the lock.

The operation of the parts so far described is as follows: If the breech mechanism is in the closed position shown in Fig. 1, and the gun is fired, the crank shaft 1 and the parts connected therewith are forced rearward by the recoil. T hereby the fingers a engage the stops 0 with their upper ends, so that the crank is rocked downward and the toggle links I), b are opened. Upon further movement of the crank toward the left the cam faces a ride on the stops e and simultaneously the ram :2: on the roller 3 Thereby the toggle links are further opened and the lock moved into the open breech position, while the block at is forced backward and its spring 0 is compressed. Finally the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 2 in which the breech is open.

The rocking lever g secured to the outer end of the crank shaft f takes part in the rocking movement so far described and'it receives thereby an accelerated rocking movement, so that it is brought from the position shown in Fig. 3 into the position shown in F ig. 4. In the closed breech position the said lever bears on a stop It secured to the side wall of the breech casing, and in the open breech position it strikes with a too 9' against a stop 11 formed on the slide carrying the crank shaft f from which it rebounds in the usual Way. In order to dampen the shock caused by the impact of the lever y when striking 0n the stop 2' the said lever is provided with a butler spring h which strikes against the stop i before the the f," engages the same. As shown the stops Ill and i are so arranged relatively to the toe g and the side face of; the lever 9, that the latter strikes against the same in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gun, so that the accuracy of aiming the gun is not impaired by the shocks caused by the impact of the rocking lever, In the closed breech position the lever 0 is directed vertically downward, and in the open breech position it directed upward.

I claim herein as my invention:

1, In an automatic gun, a lock crank, a reciprocating slide carr in? said crank, meam: operated by the recoil o the gun to impart reciprocating movement to said slide and its crank, it finger formed on said crank and having a cam face, stops located one in the path of the end of said finger and one in the path of said cam face and adapted in combination with said finger and cam face to impart rocking movement to said crank, and means for returning said crank, after being rocked, to its initial position.

2. In an automatic gun, a lock crank formed with an abutment and with a cam f-a'ce, toggle links connected with said lock crank, a slide carrying said crank, means controlled by the recoil of the gun to im art reciprocating movement to said slide an its crank, stops respectively located in the paths of said abutment and cam face, said abutment and its stop being so located as to open the toggle links, and said cam face and its stop being so locateli and shaped as to continue the opening ovement of the toggle links and to impart an accelerated movement to the crank upon the movement of said slide by the recoil, and means for returning said cam, after being rocked, to its initial position.

3. In an automatic gun, a lock crank formed with an abutment and with a cam face, toggle links connected with said lock crank, a slide carrying said crank, means controlled by the recoil of the gun to impart reciprocating movement to said slide and its crank, stops respectively located in the paths of said abutment andcam face, said abutment and its stop being so located as to open the toggle links, and said cam face and its stop being so located and shaped as to continue the opening movement of the toggle links and to impart an accelerated movement to the crank upon the movement of saidslide by the recoil, a rebounding member connected with said crank, and a stop cooperating with said rebounding member and adapted to return said crank into initial position. v

4. In an automatic gun of the Maxim type having a slidable breech block, the combination of the recoil spring, the handle crank shaft, the handle thereon, the reciprocating toggle link device consisting of two toggle links one mounted on the handle crank shaft the other pivotally connected with the slidable breech block, a stop device placed inside the'breech casing and ada ted to begin the bending of the toggle lin s, a cam device likewise arranged inside the breech casing and adapted to complete the bending of the said toggle links under the recoil of the gun i against the action of the recoil spring, said.

jection .in order to cause the beginning of said carrier and a Weighted handle on the the bending of the toggle link device on the crank shaft. 10 recoil of the gun, a cam attached to the tog- In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my gle link device, a counter cam cooperating signature in the presence of two witnesses. 5 with the said first named cam in order to KARL HEINEMANNi complete the bending of the toggle link de- Witnesses: vice, a sliding carrier for supporting said WOLDEMAR IIAUPT,

counter cam, a, recoil spring acting upon the HENRY HASPER. 

